How to decrease urine pH

Bryant HarlandUpdated April 17, 2017

A pH in the healthy range indicates that your body is metabolising vitamins and minerals properly. Urine pH testing is often done to establish a body's general pH levels. In addition to everyday health, the secretion of acidic or alkaline urine is helpful for controlling diseases, including bacteriuria -- when bacteria is present in the urine -- and kidney stones. Dietary changes can help you to control your urine's pH without having to spend money on medicine.

Urine pH test

Clean your genitals with warm, soapy water. Wipe with either a washcloth or sterile wipes. Men should retract the foreskin and wash the tip of the penis well. Women should spread open the labia and wipe with a clean washcloth. Rinse well after. This will prevent things such as sweat and other contaminants from affecting the pH test results.

Urinate a little bit into the toilet before taking the test. The initial part of the stream is often not good for getting a baseline pH reading.

Urinate the rest into a sterile, plastic container.

Dip the litmus into the urine inside the plastic container. The paper will turn a colour. Litmus paper comes with a chart for matching colours to actual pH values. Normal values for urine pH range from 4.6 to 8.0; however, between 6.0 and 7.0 is ideal. A high pH is known as "alkaline," while a low pH is "acidic."

Change pH levels

Reduce the amount of fruits, legumes and vegetables in your diet. Diets high in these tend to produce alkaline urine.

Increase the amount of meat and cranberry juice in your diet.

Retest your urine pH weekly in order to monitor progress.

Tip

Taking more than one urine pH test will provide a more accurate baseline. Urine pH can vary depending on time of day -- it tends to be more acidic when waking, for example.

If you are unable to change your urine's pH as desired through dietary changes, drugs such as ammonium chloride, thiazide diuretics and methenamine mandelate decrease urine pH. If you decide to take medicine, follow the doctor's instructions.

Warning

If your urine's pH is consistently above or below the normal range, it may be a sign of a medical condition. Consult your GP if this is the case.